Refillable container for use with vending machines

ABSTRACT

A refill bottle, such as a laundry refill bottle, is disclosed that can be used with a consumer refill station to reuse the bottle over and over. The refill bottle includes automatic flow control valves, that allow the bottle to be filled, handled, dispensed from, and refilled innumerable times without a cap. The elimination of a cap alleviates the manufacturer and consumer of the tasks of installing, loosening, tightening, removing, and reinstalling or replacing the cap. The refillable bottle uses flow control valves, specifically an automatic filling valve, an automatic pressure vent valve, a manual/automatic dispensing valve, and an automatic vacuum vent valve. The refill bottle enables liquid and air to be exchanged during filling, handling, dispensing, and refilling.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/381,701, filed Aug. 31, 2016, the contents of whichare fully incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The world has experienced a movement toward more environmentallyfriendly product packaging, which has gained momentum recently as theworld begins to appreciate the ever-growing presence ofnon-biodegradable waste in the landfills and areas of waste disposal.Companies have tried to explore new options for controlling the amountof waste and costs associated with containers of products purchasedevery day. Packaging of products, including foods, beverages, personalcare products, household cleaning products, and the like are a primecandidate for further action to protect the environment.

Personal care products, such as lotions, creams, hair care products,cosmetics, and the like have been slow to move toward a moreenvironmentally friendly packaging. This may be because the industry is,to a large extent, packaging-driven, with the commercial success of manyproducts a direct result of the public's affection for the packagingthat accompanies the product rather than the quality of the productitself. Companies that sell colognes, perfumes, eye make-up, cosmeticcreams, etc. may spend much more capital on the response of potentialcustomers to their packaging than their products. As a result, cosmeticsand personal care products companies have resisted the movement to moreenvironmentally friendly packaging, leading to significant waste and ahigher cost to both the manufacturer and the customer for repeatedpurchasing of the same packaging. The trend, however, is for bothcompanies and consumers to give credence to the need to conserveresources and reduce waste, and look for new and better ways to preserveboth the environment and save money in the process.

One such way in which waste can be reduced is by reusable packaging, Thepresent invention relates generally but not exclusively to the field ofmaterials management, and more particularly to a refillable containerthat can be used in connection with refilling stations, kiosks, vendingmachines, and the like.

A hand-held refillable material transfer system may be configured tomove highly viscous materials from a remote point of manufacture to apoint of sale. The material transfer system may be configured todispense only the required amount of material without waste, which isespecially important when fluids or materials are not easily handled andcannot be transmitted easily or safely from container to containerwithout unwanted exposure. Preferably, such a material transfer systemreduces or eliminates costs and expenses attendant to using traditionaldisposable personal packaging as well as the waste of materialassociated with most existing systems. A refillable material transfersystem may further be configured to use low cost components, such as anon-pulsating solution for dispensing and transferring thick fluids andother such materials.

Refillable and reusable packaging for consumer goods will continue toemerge and become more prominent as the need to reduce packaging wastebecomes a moral and economical imperative. Reducing packaging waste is agoal of businesses and governments alike, from municipalities that facethe growing problem of landfills and waste management, to companies whoneed to remain competitive as competitors turn to refillable packaging.This issue will only continue to grow and move to the forefront of thepublic's consciousness as the problems associated with consumerpackaging waste exacerbates.

One solution to the problem of consumer packaging waste is disclosed inUnited States Patent Publication No. 2011/0225106, where a refillableconsumer packaging station can be used to refill consumer products in aspecially designed refillable container. An example of a type ofrefillable container is disclosed in United States Patent PublicationNo. 2014/0209640. The contents of these references are fullyincorporated by reference herein. A personal refillable container isbrought to the station by the consumer after it is depleted, and therefill station can refill and recharge the container so that it candispense the new product without the need for new packaging. The sharedsavings to the manufacturer and the consumers for this reduction inwaste can be in the millions of dollars.

The benefits of such a refill station are multi-fold, as discussed inthe incorporated patent applications. In addition to the elimination ofwaste, the refill stations can provide a wide variety of products thatcan be customized to the customer's preferences without stockinginventory for every conceivable variation. For example, the refillstation may offer a laundry detergent product for refilling the personalcontainer. In addition to the base detergent, scents can be incorporatedinto the detergent at the refill station, as well as options such asfabric softeners, additives, or other modifiers. The customer canpersonalize the detergent product to his or her preferences, and createa detergent that is specifically designed for that consumer. Thedetergent provider can sell more product while reducing inventory, andthe reusable container ensures that no waste is created once thedetergent is depleted. The consumer simply returns to the refillstation, where it is preferably located in a mall, shopping center, orother convenient location, and the consumer's personal preferences arealways available to refill the packaging.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a refill bottle, such as a laundry refill bottle, thatcan be used with a consumer refill station to reuse the bottle over andover. The refill bottle includes automatic flow control valves, thatallow the bottle to be filled, handled, dispensed from, and refilledinnumerable times without a cap. The elimination of a cap alleviates themanufacturer and the consumer of the tasks of installing, loosening,tightening, removing, and reinstalling or replacing the cap, andobviates certain issues relating to leakage, misplacement, etc.associated with a cap.

The refillable bottle achieves the objectives of the invention throughthe flow control valves, specifically an automatic filling valve, anautomatic pressure vent valve, a manual/automatic dispensing valve, andan automatic vacuum vent valve. The refill bottle enables liquid and airto be exchanged during filling, handling, dispensing, and refilling.

The automatic filling valve enables liquid to be transferred from thedispensing port on the refill station through it and into the refillbottle during filling and refilling. This valve is operated and openedby the net forces between its inlet and its outlet. This valve isoperated and closed by the net forces between its outlet and its inlet.These net forces are based on the forces applied from the netdifferential pressure between the valve inlet and the valve outlet onthe cross-sectional material (fluid) area of a translatable seatingelement in the valve, and the forces applied from another valve elementcapable of storing energy. This valve does not require human or otherintervention to be operated, opened, closed.

The automatic pressure vent valve enables air to be transferred throughit and vented out of the refill bottle as it is displaced by theentering material (liquid) during the filling and refilling. This valveis operated and opened by the net forces between its inlet and itsoutlet. This valve is operated and closed by the net forces between itsoutlet and its inlet. These net forces are based on the forces appliedfrom the net differential pressure between the valve inlet and the valveoutlet on the cross-sectional material (fluid) area of a translatableseating element in the valve, and the forces applied from another valveelement capable of storing energy. This valve does not require human orother intervention to be operated, opened, closed.

The manual/automatic dispensing valve enables liquid to be transmittedthrough it and dispensed out of the refill bottle during dispensing, andautomatically closes when the dispensing operation is concluded. Thisvalve does require human or other intervention to be operated andopened. This valve does not require human or other intervention to beoperated and closed.

The automatic vacuum vent valve enables air to be transferred through itand vented into the refill bottle, with this volume of air replacing thevolume of the liquid dispensed out of the bottle during dispensing,thereby breaking the vacuum that would otherwise be developed in thebottle. This valve is operated and opened by the net forces between itsinlet and its outlet. This valve is operated and closed by the netforces between its outlet and its inlet. These net forces are based onthe forces applied from the net differential pressure between the valveinlet and the valve outlet on the cross-sectional material (fluid) areaof a translatable seating element in the valve, and the forces appliedfrom another valve element capable of storing energy. This valve doesnot require human or other intervention to be operated, opened, closed.

The present invention provides an automatic transfer of laundrydetergent into the refill bottle using valves that do not require humanor other invention. These valves can be relatively simple, inexpensive,reliable, repeatable, durable, and particularly valuable for a bottle tobe refilled innumerable times, with ease and without certain issues.

As a comparison, a typical existing atmospheric laundry bottle has acap, which requires human or other intervention to be installed afterfilling with liquid and properly tightened, loosened before dispensingliquid (to enable air to vent into the bottle), re-tightened andre-loosened before and after any subsequent handling, removed beforerefilling with liquid (to allow liquid into the bottle and air to ventout of the bottle), reinstalled or replaced after refilling, etc.

For a bottle to function as a refill bottle and be considered valuableas a refill bottle, it should be capable of being refilled a number oftimes, with ease and without significant issues. For a refill bottlewith a cap, the multiple human or other interventions required toinstall, loosen, tighten, remove, and reinstall or replace the cap arevulnerable to certain issues. These issues include a human or othererror with the cap; a lost cap causing the bottle to no longer besuitable of being handled and refilled; wear and tear on the cap causingthe liquid to leak or spill during handling; the cap not being loosenedbefore dispensing, causing erratic flow of the liquid during dispensing;the cap not being tightened before handling, causing the liquid leak orspill during handling. The vulnerability of a bottle with a cap to theabove and other issues is a barrier to a bottle with a cap functioningas a refill bottle and being considered valuable as a refill bottle.This invention eliminates the cap on the bottle and the issuesassociated with a cap on a bottle.

This invention provides the automatic means for an atmospheric laundrybottle to be filled, handled, dispensed from, and refilled innumerabletimes, with ease and without significant issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated, perspective view of a first embodiment of thepresent invention in the form of a refillable laundry detergent bottle;

FIG. 2 is a cut-away view of the top of the embodiment of FIG. 1underneath the handle;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Common atmospheric laundry bottles range from about 64 fluid ounces (½gallon) to 128 fluid ounces (one gallon), and are made from a relativelylight-weight blow-molded plastic such as HDPE (High-DensityPolyEthylene) that is suitable for ambient temperatures. Bottle 10represents a refillable container that may be used with a refillableconsumer product, such as, for example, laundry detergent. The uses forthe bottle extend beyond the specified usage, and can be used with mostheavy or viscous liquids, such as oils, soaps, shampoos, and the like.

The bottle 10 may be molded with a handle 12 on an upper surface forconvenient carrying, and preferably include one or two pair(s) of legs14 for stabilizing the bottle. On the upper surface 18 of the bottle 10,such as below the handle 12, are a pair of one-way valves or ventsarranged to allow air to enter and escape, respectively, duringdispensing and filling. That is, one valve is designated as a reliefvalve used during filling so that air can escape while product isentering the bottle 10, and another valve is active during dispensing toallow air to enter as product is dispensed from the bottle.

The bottle 10 may be formed with a removable cup 28 that is attached tothe lower surface of the bottle as through a détente, threaded fitting,tab and slot arrangement, or some other releasable connection forattaching the cup to the bottle. The bottle 10 may also be equipped witha button 30 that is used to dispense the fluid therein as set forthbelow. The dispensing button 30 will preferably be located on a frontsurface near a ledge 26 under which the cup 28 attaches, although otherlocations for the button are also available. As part of ananti-tampering measure, a decal 33 may be placed over the button 30 andextending to the cup 28 to indicate that the bottle has not previouslybeen used. The decal 33 preferably includes a bar code or other machinereading indicia that describes the content of the bottle 10, includingany additives, scents, etc. The bar code may also include customerinformation, payment information, or other data or information tofacilitate the transaction. The decal 33 may further includeperforations that allow the decal 33 to be torn when the bottle 10 isused after the refill operation. In this manner, the status of thebottle as used can be discerned while the information included in thebar code can still be read by the refill station to facilitate thetransaction and refill operation.

Preferably attached to the underside of the bottle 10 is a read/writeRFID tag transponder 35 that is associated with. and remains physicallycoupled to, the bottle 10. The RFID tag 35 is capable of wireless twoway data communication with a refilling station or other data exchange.

The RFID transponder 35 allows the bottle to record and retain theunique serial number of the bottle during its life cycle, from itsmanufacturing date through its use, to its eventual disposal. TheRead/Write RFID tag (transponder) 35 associated with the bottle includespassive NFC (Near Field Communication tag) based on ISO/IEC 14443A Type1 or Type 2 tag. A passive tag receives power from the RF transmissionreceived, and does not require a physically connected power source(i.e., a battery).

The ability to record data enables a bottle to be identified and tracedin the event of a recall, and further allows the bottle to be accessedvia the serial number through a number of different refill stations ordata systems. The RFID tag also permits the recording and storage of aunique product “recipe” for the customer who wants to tailor the productto a particular specification. Using a variety of additives such asfragrances, softeners, dyes, etc., the customer can customize theproduct and the RFID tag can record and store the unique productcombination. The refilling station will recall this information from theRFID tag and refill the refill bottle to the customer's specificationsautomatically without the customer needing to enter further information.

The invention also allows the recording of unique lot (batch) numbersfor products to be stored, which allows subsequent identification incase of recall. The ability to identify which refill bottles includewhich recalled product, and thus limit a recall to only those refillbottles, is a significant benefit not heretofore seen in the prior art.With multiple ingredients and repeated reuses of the refillable bottle,tracking would be virtually impossible and lead to recalls of perfectlygood product. The RFID tags can include data such as lot numbers, dateof refill, and other critical information that would be important in arecall situation, and be retrieved wirelessly from a suitable devicewithout physically being present at a refill station. The RFID canrewrite the information over the previous information with each refill,and thus maintain a current listing of the contents of the bottle, orthe RFID could maintain a history of each refill depending upon thestorage limits of the RFID tag and the needs of the user. Thisfacilitates recall operations that are targeted only to those bottlesthat presently or immediately previously included recalled product,simplifying the process and reducing the costs of such recall operationssignificantly.

FIG. 2 is a cut away view of the bottle 10 taken along lines 2-2 underthe handle 12 that illustrates an air inlet check valve 20 and an airoutlet check valve 22. When liquid is introduced into the bottle by therefill station, the air in the bottle is forced through the air outletcheck valve 22 until all (or most all) of the air is displaced by theincoming fluid. In a first example, the diameter of the check valve 22is an eighth inch and opens at a pressure of 2-4 PSIG. Once the bottleis brought home and the liquid is dispensed, air is drawn into thebottle 10 through the air inlet check valve 20 to prevent a negativepressure or vacuum from building up in the bottle as the fluid isdispensed. In a first example, the diameter of the valve 20 is an eighthinch, and automatically opens at a pressure of −0.1 inches water columnto −0.2 inches water column (vacuum in bottle). These valves 20, 22allow for smooth flow through the liquid inlet/outlet for both thefilling and dispensing operations of the bottle.

The inlet check valve 20 and outlet check valve 22 may be springactuated check valves such as the Series 100 relief valves offered bySmart Products, Inc. of Morgan Hill, Calif. Alternately, the checkvalves 20, 22 may be diaphragm-type check valves such as those offeredby Ark-Plas Products, Inc. of Flippin, Ak. In yet another embodiment,the valves can be magnetically controlled such as the smart check valvesoffered by Magic Plastics, Inc. of Valencia, Calif., where a magneticfield stores energy that can be used to control the valve. FIG. 3illustrates the bottle 10 in profile, showing the dispensing button 30used to actuate the delivery of the product and the cup 28 that canreceive the product being dispensed from a valve 16 as described below.

FIG. 4 illustrates the underside of the bottle where a two additionalports are located. A dispensing valve 16 is positioned below a ledge 26in the bottle where product can be dispensed into a cup 28 or othercontainer. The dispensing valve 16 may be actuated by a dispensingbutton 30 on the front/side of the bottle 10 to transfer product fromthe bottle to the cup 28, and have a diameter of three fourths of aninch. The dispensing valve 16 is preferably mechanically controlled bydepressing the button 30, although other means for opening and closingthe dispensing valve 16 is available as well. Centrally located on thebottom of the bottle 10 is a filling port and valve 32. The filling portand valve 32 is used by the refill station to transfer product to thebottle 10. This can be done with a probe on the refill station that,once the bottle is positioned in the refill station transfer holder, isinserted into the filling port and valve 32 to fill the bottle. Asproduct is transferred into the bottle 10, the air outlet port 22 expelsthe resident air in the bottle to prevent over-pressurization of thebottle. In a first example, the diameter of the filling port and valve32 is a half inch and opens at a pressure of 4-8 PSIG.

An important aspect of the present invention is that the valves 20, 22,32 operate automatically without human intervention. That is, the valvesare triggered by pressure differences and can actuate when needed toequalize the pressure within the bottle 10. Furthermore, there are nocaps, covers, or lids for the customer to open, close, tighten, remove,or replace in order to use the product. The customer merely has todepress the dispensing button 30 to deliver the product to a cup ordirectly into a washing machine if desired.

While the inventor's preferred embodiments have been described anddepicted herein, the invention is not limited to the preferredembodiment. A person of ordinary skill in the art would readilyrecognize various substitutions and modifications to the aforementionedpreferred embodiments, and the invention is intended to include all suchsubstitutions and modifications. Accordingly, the scope of the inventionis not limited by any depiction or description herein unless expresslylimited, but rather the scope is governed by the words of the appendedclaims, using the plain and ordinary meaning of the words thereinconsistent with, but not constrained by, the foregoing description.

We claim:
 1. A reusable, refillable bottle for dispensing a viscousfluid acquired from a refill station, the bottle comprising: a bodysupported by a plurality of legs and including a handle on an uppersurface; a first one way valve on the upper surface for automaticallyintroducing air into the body of the bottle when a pressure in thebottle falls below a predetermined value; a second one way valve forreleasing air from the interior of the body as product is introducedinto the body; a dispensing button adjacent to a lower surface of thebottle; a dispensing valve on a bottom surface of the bottle; and a fillvalve on the bottom surface of the bottle for filling the bottle withproduct; wherein the bottle lacks a lid or removable top.
 2. The bottleof claim 1, wherein the capacity of the bottle is between sixty fourfluid ounces and one hundred twenty eight fluid ounces, inclusive. 3.The bottle of claim 1, wherein the second one way valve automaticallyopens at a pressure of 2-4 PSIG, inclusive.
 4. The bottle of claim 1,wherein the first one way valve automatically opens at a pressure of−0.1 inches water column to −0.2 inches water column, inclusive.
 5. Thebottle of claim 1, wherein the first and second one way valves arespring actuated check valves.
 6. The bottle of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second one way valves are diaphragm check valves.
 7. Thebottle of claim 1, wherein the first and second one way valves aremagnetic check valves.
 8. The bottle of claim 1, wherein the dispensingbutton mechanically actuates the dispensing valve.
 9. The bottle ofclaim 1, wherein a tamper-indicating decal is placed over the dispensingbutton to evidence a first use.
 10. The bottle of claim 9, wherein thetamper-indicating decal includes a bar code.
 11. The bottle of claim 1,further comprising an RFID tag.
 12. The bottle of claim 11, wherein theRFID tag can communicate with a remote refill station to assist inrecall operations.